Whip out your virtual Moleskines, shuffle around your dinner dates, and make some room for free lectures from architecture and design’s key players.

This week:

1. Eduoard François in Ottawa on October 24

At the National Gallery tonight, environmental architect Edouard François speaks as part of the Vis-á-Vis Architecture lecture series. A champion for sustainable development, he’s best known for La Closeraie in Louviers, an apartment building with a stunning timber facade that doubles as a parasol in some sections. 380 Sussex Dr.

2. Matthias Schuler in Cambridge, Massachussetts on October 26

On Wednesday, Matthias Schuler, the founder of Transsolar, takes the stage at Piper Auditorium as part of Harvard Graduate School of Design’s annual lecture series. The climate engineering firm has collaborated with Steven Holl on the Beijing Linked Hybrid and with Foster + Partners on Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City. 48 Quincy St.

Next month:

1. Robert Hammond in Cambridge, Mass, on November 8

As the co-founder and executive director of Friends of the High Line, Robert Hammond is lauded for helping to transform the derelict elevated rail line into New York’s new and already well-loved park in the sky. 6:30pm, Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, 48 Quincy St., Cambridge, Mass.

2. Catherine Mosbach in Halifax on November 9

In another installment of the Vis-á-Vis Architecture lecture series, landscape architect Catherine Mosbach discusses the design process of landscape design. The botanical gardens in Monaco and Bordeaux are among her most well known projects. Dalhousie University, 5410 Spring Garden Rd, Halifax.

Giancarlo Mazzanti is something of an architect for the people – his works include several daycare centres in Bogota and two libraries in Mendellin. The architect will contribute to Ryerson University’s architecture school lecture series. 6:30pm, 325 Church St.

5. David Chipperfield in Cambridge, Mass, on November 15

Harvard’s GSD invites the brilliant David Chipperfield to discuss his refined and thoughful product designs and architectural wonders – such as the Hepworth Wakefield, a gorgeous contemporary art museum in Yorkshire, England. 6:30pm, Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, 48 Quincy St., Cambridge, Mass.

6. Didier Faustino in Ottawa and Toronto on November 21, 22 and 23

Conceptual architect Didier Faustino lands first in Ottawa and then heads west to Toronto for a double feature. The co-founder of Bureau des Mésarchitecture, the Paris firm known for its experimental designs, such as a delicate, towering tea house in South Korea, discusses the blurred line between architecture and art. Nov 21, 6pm: 380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa; Nov 22, 6:30pm: 230 College St., Toronto; Nov 23, 6:30pm: 100 McCaul St., Toronto.